HM Queen Elizabeth II – 1926-2022
I didn’t expect to be as upset by the passing of HM The Queen as I have been. It’s taken me quite by surprise, to be honest, and I’ve been wondering why that is.
I don’t have any connection to the Royal Family, I don’t even think about them that often these days, but I guess like many people around the world, I have grown up knowing that we had a Queen and about her family, and so she has always been there in the background of my life.
When I was a child, anything that I had to do with The Queen and the Royal Family involved waving red, white and blue Union Jack flags, singing the national anthem and possibly even a street party, all of which seemed very exciting. I’m sure I’ve still got a mug somewhere from the Silver Jubilee and I can vividly remember a yellow dress that seemed like a good idea in the shop but I had changed my mind by the time it came to wear it, much to my Mum’s annoyance.
I think that my sadness has come as I’ve got older and I have been able to see Her Majesty not just as a Royal figurehead but as a person with a family that has problems just like any other. Nobody wants to live out their family’s trials and tribulations in the media, no matter what their life circumstances. My heart broke as I watched her sitting alone at her husband, Prince Philip’s, funeral and I saw a little old lady having to say goodbye to her life companion under the watchful gaze of millions of viewers.
I am glad that she was able to leave this earth in a place that meant a great deal to her, with her family around her. We would all choose that way to exit if we could. Yes, a Queen but also a mum herself, a grandmother, a great-grandmother. Someone who has lived and been loved in a family just like “normal” people. I think this is what has touched me – so very far away from my life but at the same time, not so different at all.
I hope she has met Philip again, and her beloved corgis, and she’s finally going to get a chance to retire.
Rest in Peace, Your Majesty.
Photo Source: Unknown – original photograph taken by Dorothy Wilding, Royal Collection Trust
I felt sad about it when I was watching and listening to the news and I’m in the states and she wasn’t my figure head but she has always been the queen and I thought she was a strong women – like you said she had to have her whole life out there in the news all the time and all the family gossip constantly – nothing private – she became queen the year I was born so she has always been there!
It’s incredible how long her reign was, and to be working right up until the day before you die … she was truly dedicated! xx
I live in the states, but the Queen has always been a part of my life. I’m the same age as the new King, and I guess somehow we all thought she would always be there….handling things with grace. She left us much example to follow in the ups and downs of life, but also reminded us to keep a balance so we can do things like have tea with Paddington. Like Christine, I’m glad the Queen could leave this world in a place she loved, and with family. I hope she is now running all over heaven in the company of her any corgis.
You’re right, I think we just thought that she would always be there even though we know that life doesn’t work like that. I loved her tea party with Paddington, and I hope she’s able to take tea with Michael Bond, his creator, up there too! xx
It’s a sad day for us, but I just think that she is with the two loves of her life…her Prince, Philip and her King, the Lord she served.
She was such an inspiration to us all. A wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Commonwealth and many other territories. She was the last person of state who had worked in WW2, and we can all learn so many lessons from her life and service.
I agree! It’s only when you stop to think about all of the hats that she wore that you realise just how much she did do. I think it’s incredible that she was still going! xx
Thank you for expressing this so well. Also to all who have commented before me so much better than I can tell
So many lovely comments xx
I’ve cried buckets which has totally surprised me. I think it stems from feeling so sorry that she was so alone and isolated at the funeral. 94% of the world’s population has been born since she became Queen.
I cannot believe how very upsetting the news has been about our beloved Queen’s death. She was a wonderful example of everything we would aspire to be and her life was led as if under a magnifying glass. She maintained her dignity throughout and she will be sorely missed. The end of an era which saw so much change. Long live King Charles III!
I honestly would never have expected to have been as sad about the news as I have been. I think it must be because something that has always been constant has changed and someone who was always in the background of our lives has gone. You’re absolutely right, she was very dignified under constant scrutiny. I wouldn’t enjoy that life! xx
I feel the same as a Canadian. Our money bears her image. I have a feeling of losing my granny. She did come for a visit through our city when I was in grade school. She’s really lived an amazing life who has seen so many changes in the world. RIP Majesty. Long live the King.
I was watching news footage from Canada this morning; I had forgotten that we had such close ties – even your Parliament buildings look the same as ours! Yes, you’re right, it does feel a bit like losing a family member. What a remarkable woman she must have been to have had effect on so many of us xx
I think it was a sad day even for Americans. My grandson had heard about it at school and had said ” I thought she was immortal because of her age”. He.s 15. I said she was probably missing Prince Philip.
Yes, I think she probably was. They had been together for such a long time and it must have been as awful for her to live without him as for any other person to live without a close family member. She might have been the Queen but she was still human! Your grandson has it spot on, though – I think we all thought she was immortal! xx
Thank you for this lovely tribute to our Queen. I too remember the Silver Jubilee as a child and eager to wave my Union Jack around. I was upset and very saddened to hear this news, she was an amazing woman, and monarch. I think it will take our nation a bit of time to adjust to Her Majesty no longer being here xxx
I think the Silver Jubilee was the first time I ever thought of there being a connection between the Queen and people like me – before that, she was someone who sat on a throne a long way away but the Jubilee meant a party and that’s much more interesting to a child! You’re quite right, it’s going to take time, it’s very strange xx
Thank you so much for your thoughtful post. Like you, I connected with the Queen over the human aspects of her life which we all share. Whether we are royalists or not, we can all learn much from the dedication, dignity, integrity and love of this very special Lady. Her passing heralds change which hopefully we will embrace joyfully.
There is certainly an opportunity for things to be different and from the coverage of the events so far, it seems as if plenty of thought has been given to how people felt about the Queen and I am pleased about that xx